After four days of uncertainty, nearly 6,000 residents of La Vall d’Uixó in Castellón province have been allowed to return home. The Generalitat Valenciana lifted the evacuation order for neighborhoods closest to the mountains, along with the general confinement order for the entire town of 32,000 people. The move came even as the wildfire, which began on July 25, remained active and uncontrolled in the Serra d’Espadà Natural Park.
The immediate threat to La Vall d’Uixó had eased, but the fire had moved deeper into the mountains and was affecting the municipalities of Eslida and Betxí. During the emergency, authorities estimated that it had scorched approximately 8,500 hectares, with a perimeter of around 72 kilometers. The 112 Comunitat Valenciana emergency service said evacuation and confinement measures remained in place in other affected towns and were expected to continue until at least 23:59 on July 28.
Later assessments put the burned area at approximately 9,568 hectares, including about 3,688 hectares, roughly 12% of the Serra d’Espadà Natural Park. RTVE later described the blaze as the Valencian Community’s third-largest wildfire of the previous decade and reported that around 16,000 people across 18 municipalities had been evacuated. The later mapping estimate exceeded the figure given during the active emergency as crews continued assessing the fire perimeter.
Firefighting teams, including aerial units, had been working since early morning to contain the flames across the affected region. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) reported calm weather overnight, with light winds and high humidity, up to 90% in the mountains and around 80% in the valleys. Temperatures hovered around 20°C on flat terrain and fell to 18°C in higher areas. But, low-level thermal inversions caused by nighttime cooling could reduce visibility and worsen air quality in the fire zone, making firefighting more difficult.
Restrictions had been partly lifted, but many communities remained in an unstable situation. The fire’s unpredictable movement and the scale of the affected area had kept emergency protocols in place elsewhere. In subsequent reporting, investigators said the fire had been deliberately started, though the perpetrator had not been identified at the time. Large-scale evacuations have become more common across Spain in recent days, as seen when thousands were forced to leave their homes in Castellón during a previous wildfire emergency.
The blaze was one of four major fires described as “sixth-generation” wildfires in the Valencian Community in 2026, alongside those at Tuéjar and Tírig, with Segorbe also among them. Together, the four burned approximately 11,750 hectares. Across the region, 140 forest fires and fire outbreaks were reported between June and September, prompting assistance for affected agricultural businesses and funding for emergency response and ecological recovery.
The aftermath extended beyond the burned forest. In October, environmental agents of the Generalitat Valenciana rebuilt two nests for the threatened Bonelli’s eagle, destroyed by the fire on hard-to-reach cliffs. The work was part of a reported €4.2 million recovery program to rehabilitate forests and improve safety, alongside repairs to the CV-219 and CV-223 roads. Separately, Spain’s Council of Ministers approved €9 million to supplement Agroseguro compensation for eligible insured farms, with reported maximum assistance of €3,500 per hectare for fruit trees and €1,900 per hectare for citrus holdings.
Wildfires are a recurring challenge in Spain’s Mediterranean regions, particularly during the dry summer months. The Serra d’Espadà, known for its dense forests and rugged terrain, is especially vulnerable to fast-spreading fires. Local authorities continue to monitor weather conditions closely, since shifts in wind or humidity can quickly alter a fire’s behavior. Regional authorities and emergency services coordinated the response, while environmental teams worked to protect residents and limit damage to the area’s ecosystems.
